topic Re: No Returns Policy in Selling

No Returns Policy

bottomoftheharbour — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 22:12:48 GMT

Sorry guys but I feel a little confused about having a No Returns Policy. Can someone please explain how you can have this when EBay appear to just do as they please. Have read a few threads but they so seem confusing especially when they are in answer to another persons complaint of having to refund. Just want to know the basics. Hope this doesn't sound duh!.

Thanks

Re: No Returns Policy

clarry100 — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 22:22:17 GMT

The way I understand it is that your returns policy is about buyer remorse and its optional if/not you accept returns under these conditions.

This is where they buyer decides they want to return the item due to wrong, size, colour or simply dont like it.

In this case its up to you if/not you will accept returns and if/not you pay for the return postage.

All this should be detailed in your listing returns policy.

That is as opposed to something being wrong with the item like not as decsribed or dead on arrival etc. In these cases ebay will enforce their returns policy and in this case if you want your item back the seller must pay for the return postage costs or simply refund without item return.

Re: No Returns Policy

bottomoftheharbour — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 22:30:54 GMT

Thanks Clarry, that does make things clear for me. I get around a fair bit in a day's work and I am shamed to hear, especially from a certain age group, not the young by the way, that all you have to do is to say to eBay Not as Described and they get their money back even if they have worn the item etc. don't know if they really do it but It is not nice at all. Some sellers must be hitting their heads against a brick wall dealing with these issues.

Re: No Returns Policy

*tippy*toes* — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 23:22:06 GMT

Yes, some buyers will buy something like a dress to wear to an event, then afterwards when they have no further use for it, they try to claim not as described so they can get their money back. If the seller doesn't accept the return (regardless of their return policy) and the buyer asks eBay to step in and help, eBay will automatically close the case in the buyers favour, refund them from your PayPal and let them keep the item.

Re: No Returns Policy

247newdeals — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 00:15:32 GMT

@*tippy*toes* wrote:
Yes, some buyers will buy something like a dress to wear to an event, then afterwards when they have no further use for it, they try to claim not as described so they can get their money back. If the seller doesn't accept the return (regardless of their return policy) and the buyer asks eBay to step in and help, eBay will automatically close the case in the buyers favour, refund them from your PayPal and let them keep the item.

also the seller will get a defect

Re: No Returns Policy

digital*ghost — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 00:51:35 GMT

If you have a no returns policy, the buyer is still able to send a request to return an item by selecting one of the change of mind reasons, but the seller has the option to deny the request.

If you accept returns, you're obliged to accept them for any (change of mind) reason, as long as the buyer meets the conditions you've set out (eg time limits, condition requirements etc).

eBay's system is definitely skewed in favour of the buyer, though, particularly when it comes to false claims for not as described. (Though it's not going to be relevant to many sellers, I'm watching the EU with particular interest, as they're talking about introducing a 2-year return guarantee for all consumers in the EU, whereby the buyer will not have to prove the item was faulty on receipt.... Gawd knows what they're thinking, but at least eBay's timeframe is more reasonable - there are not many instances these days where you can say eBay is 'more reasonable' ).

Re: No Returns Policy

bottomoftheharbour — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 01:00:32 GMT

As I understand from this this board, the buyer just goes thru eBay for not as described and they automatically get their money back with postage even if the seller rejects their request. Sellers loss every time, is this right?

Re: No Returns Policy

digital*ghost — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 01:08:20 GMT

@bottomoftheharbour wrote:
As I understand from this this board, the buyer just goes thru eBay for not as described and they automatically get their money back with postage even if the seller rejects their request. Sellers loss every time, is this right?

Technically, you're not able to reject a not as described request. You can contest it, but it's risky unless your evidence is watertight, due to there being such a low threshold for 'cases closed without seller resolution' before eBay might start restricting your account (2 cases, or 0.3% in any evaluation period).

It's true that some buyers will abuse the system, so these days I advise anyone wanting to sell here to be aware of (and prepared for) that possibility (at the moment I still call it a possibility, so it has not yet graduated to a probability 😉 ), and thankfully, there are still honest buyers out there who accept that their reasons for wishing to return an item are 'change of mind' and use the request system correctly.

Re: No Returns Policy

bottomoftheharbour — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 01:22:10 GMT

A positive reply. There are some who may disagree, but every case is individual and I'm advertising for honest buyers only. Ha. Must block everyone who speaks of the No Returns Policy, yea right.

Re: No Returns Policy

mybookstoreonline — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 05:12:47 GMT

I sell books and I am not a library so I have a no returns policy and it works.

Once a book slipped through with some pages not present, he sent photos and I refunded him, that buyer went on to place a large order with me and gave positive feedback as a result. So it works for me.

Re: No Returns Policy

designers*n*more — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 11:53:54 GMT

When it comes to clothes and buyers who falsely claim Not as Described, (ie purchase, wear and then try to return) I think the only water tight way to protect yourself is to

a) purchase tags that attach to the clothes so that they cannot be worn unless the safety tag is removed (extremely costly and time consuming)

b) take extra photos inside and out of the clothing, up close etc and keep them on your computer (time consuming in a way but not costly like safety tags)

Re: No Returns Policy

onicesneakers — Sun, 29 Apr 2018 04:56:32 GMT

Yes. Ebay is useless in this regard. I just sold a pair of ‘pre owned shoes from 2003’ and the buyer demanded a return as they were not in good condition. Clearly listed as a 15 year old pair of pre owned shoes, with 5 high def pics. Ebay found in his favour and now i have to fork out for the refund AND i have to pay return postage. Ebay say this is because they dont know the condition of the item as they never have it in their hand to see it, which is rubbish of course, they have access to the listing and all the photos, and could make a ruling. This is just another way of them screwing sellings and absolving themselves of any responsibility.

Re: No Returns Policy

melbourneclearance — Sun, 29 Apr 2018 05:51:16 GMT

Having a no return policy is of little use, but not completely no use. It has some use when the buyer is honest whereas dishonest buyers will get to keep your item, get a full refund including postage, AND give you a negative feedback no matter what you do. Thankfully, dishonest buyers are in the very small minority at the bottom of the barrel. Don't let the horror stories deter you from selling in good faith. People here barely talk about the smooth transactions which all go unnoticed. Chances are: you will get an honest buyer.

But if you want a horror story, here's one:
A fraudster Yank with 0 feedback bought a vintage bottle from me last year for $50 + postage to US in January 2017. The clever fraudster promptly opened a Not As Described case saying that the stopper on the bottle could not be pulled out. I pointed out that one of the pictures had the stopper out. He said he did not want to use force. Ebay sided with him and gave me a defect. I decided that it was not worth paying the return postage back from the US for a $50 item. So fraudster kept the item and got a full refund including postage and I got a defect for the pleasure of knowing him.

Today I checked his account, "No longer a registered user" was displayed. Either ebay has finally banned him after 32 feedbacks or he has decided that every item he bought on ebay was faulty and quit ebay. If he was indeed banned, where is my money back, ebay?